


Amplitude

by themoonandmargot



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: ALL THE GOOD STUFF, Coming Out, Confessions, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 17:58:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15690489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themoonandmargot/pseuds/themoonandmargot
Summary: It’s the furthest from equilibrium, and the highest point in the swing, and everything that TJ didn’t know he wanted. Cyrus just has that sort of effect on him.





	Amplitude

It’s strange and sad all at once, thinking just how often he visits the swing set.

TJ’s not completely certain why he does it. It’s not the swings themselves; if those tiny blue seats and those rusty old chains enamoured him in the slightest, he would’ve been swinging on them before he could dribble.

It’s not for the dark reasons, either. He knows this is Cyrus’s “feel-bad” spot—now his, too, and while he has lots to feel bad about, he can’t deny how fantastic his life seems to be going. With the whole Buffy situation finally resolved, the chance of having a group of good, true friends looms even closer in TJ’s reach. Buffy, maybe Andi, and…

 _Cyrus._ The name makes TJ chew on his tongue and stare at the dirt tracked into his shoes. Just thinking of Cyrus makes him feel guilty, considering all the times Cyrus has helped him and all the ways TJ ought to pay him back. At the same time, TJ wishes Cyrus were with him now, just to help sort through all these feelings. He’s always been good at doing that.

Luckily for TJ, like an answered prayer, it’s Cyrus who comes trodding and nearly tripping through the thick grass in an effort to reach the swing set. TJ feels his face brighten and stretch into a wide grin. “Hey, Underdog!” he calls, pushing his swing into motion.

Cyrus waves. He nearly loses his balance, but his smile remains. “Hey, Gel Back!”

“Gel Back, huh? That’s a new one,” TJ says as Cyrus takes the swing beside him. “Not sure if I get it, though.”

“Gel Back. Because you,” Cyrus pauses to run his hands through his self-acclaimed locks, “ _gel back_ your hair. It’s a simple nickname, but well-deserved, and that’s coming from a co-founder of the Good Hair Club.”

TJ peers at Cyrus before snickering and leaning into the swing. “I’m honored to be Gel Back, then.”

They swing in relative silence, listening to the creak of metal amidst the distant chirping of birds, until Cyrus breaks the ice.

“So,” he says, “what brings you to the swing set today?”

Pushing himself higher, TJ grips tighter to the metal chains. “Nothing, I’m fine. Just… swinging.” He glances at Cyrus, quiet and swinging low to the ground. “What about you? Why’d you come to the swing set?”

Cyrus snorts. “Well, my parents insist I spend more time outdoors rather than lock myself in my room all day, so I was walking through the park when I saw _you_ here. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He shrugs, eyes sliding to TJ. “So, are you? Or are you just pretending you came here to swing?”

The insinuation makes TJ kick at the ground a bit too forcefully, making him nearly lose his balance and slip off his seat. Cyrus gasps as he slams his feet against the ground in a cloud of dust. “I…” Closing his eyes, TJ exhales and swallows back the urge to defend himself. “Real talk?” he heaves. “I’m not sure. I was hoping the swings would help me figure that out, but I’m not having much luck.”

“Hey, this is a swing set, not an all-knowing entity.”

“What do you mean?”

Cyrus slows his swinging to a stop. “I mean, you’re supposed to come here to let go of some of your problems, not to solve them all at once. After all, if these swings knew the answers of the universe, you’d see me coming here a lot more often.”

“But what if I do want answers?” TJ asks. “Where do I go when I have problems that I can’t just let go?”

“A therapist’s office, maybe. But if that’s not your style, talking it out with a friend might just help.” Cyrus turns to TJ, the chains of his swing grinding as they twist. “What’s really bothering you?”

TJ pauses. He feels he couldn’t list his worries even with all the time in the world. Still, he tries. “Cyrus,” TJ says, the sound foreign to their ears, “do you ever feel like you’re a fraud?”

“...A fraud?”

“Like, you’re played up as one thing when you know you’re something else, but being yourself is so hard that you just have to live up to everyone else’s expectations for you. Do you have any idea what that’s like?”

“Yes,” Cyrus says, realizing it as he says it. He blinks. “Listen, you don’t have to be the scary basketball guy if you don’t want to–“

“It’s not that,” TJ mutters. “Well, it is, but…”

_Say it._

“Cyrus, I… I like boys.”

TJ winces as Cyrus’s eyes widen in understanding. “Oh.”

“Well, right now I like _a_ boy,” TJ reveals. “Or, maybe I’m just being dumb again. I don’t know, being the tough basketball team captain… I’m not supposed to like boys, am I?”

“What? That isn’t true. You like who you like. Nothing changes that, and that doesn’t change you.”

TJ’s shoulders sink as he looks at his lap. “I… I can’t let anyone else find out.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But either way, there are people to support you. _I’m_ here to support you. I promise you’ll be okay.”

“How can you? Cyrus, everyone’s going to treat me differently!”

“You’re no different!” Cyrus bellows. It takes a second for him to regain his composure, and his voice comes out softer than usual. “You’re more normal than you think.”

TJ falls silent, playing with the dirt below before shaking his head. “You’re just saying that,” he mumbles.

Cyrus frowns. “Gel Back…”

“Enough with the nicknames, okay?” TJ spits. “I know you’re just calling me that to pretend that everything’s still normal. Well, it’s not.” He sighs, avoiding Cyrus’s dark brown eyes. “For once, you can’t help me with this. I’m completely alone.”

The silence hangs between them like an aged pair of swings, but the cacophony of Cyrus’s mind grows louder. He recalls words spoken between sobs, uttered in the chaos of his bar mitzvah. Telling Buffy and Andi his true feelings was always part of the plan; everything after that would be improvised.

But this, he thinks with wavering breath, is a new level of unexpected.

“TJ.” Not used to having Cyrus say his name, TJ stills his restless legs. Cyrus offers a small smile in return. “You know Jonah Beck? Ultimate Frisbee guy?”

“Yeah... What about him?” he replies, slowly, before shifting in his seat. “If it’s not something he wants me to know, then don’t tell me.”

“No, that’s not what this is about,” Cyrus says. “This is about me.”

TJ looks up at that. “You?”

“Yeah, me. The boy who once had a gigantic, secret crush on Jonah Beck.” Cyrus leans back, reveling in the way TJ’s eyes grow wide.

“What?” he sputters.

“Jonah was my first real crush. I had no idea how to handle it, or how to tell my best friends, or how to deal with the fact that… he probably didn’t like me back.” Cyrus smiles. “But, I told Buffy. And I told Andi. And the only things that really changed were that I became happier and my friends and I got closer.”

TJ sits there, trying to absorb it all, but then his brows furrow in confusion. “Wait, but aren’t Andi and Jonah–”

“I got over my crush on Jonah,” Cyrus reveals. “But I’m still me. I still like boys. I just don’t like _that_ boy anymore.” He pauses. “I like another boy now.”

“Who?”

They meet eyes, finally. Cyrus blushes and TJ watches, mouth hanging barely open.

“You.” Cyrus smiles and shrugs when he deems the expression on TJ’s face unreadable. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. I wasn’t expecting you to, especially since you’re just starting to process it all. But I think it’s a testament, y’know? That timid, little dorks like me… they can see the good in you. You _are_ changing. And it isn’t for the worse.”

TJ’s eyes flicker downwards and Cyrus turns away to look at the park, washed in the last rays of daylight. Happily, he sighs; how fantastic it is that on a beautiful day like this, he finally mustered the courage to come out to someone outside his best friend group. That knowledge fills Cyrus with a sense of pride, and it's enough to propel him off the swing and to his feet.

“I don’t want to make things more awkward, so I’ll just be on my way,” he says, turning to face TJ. “I hope you still want to be friends after all this. I know I do.”

Cyrus swivels on his heel, prepared for the quiet walk ahead of him, but then TJ’s voice stops him in his tracks. “Cyrus, wait.”

TJ stands and steps closer to Cyrus, now facing him and peering up at him with those big, brown eyes. TJ’s entire stomach nearly flips. Being this close to someone he cares that much about… Well, it feels almost like jumping off at the highest point of a swing.

And boy, does he take the leap, pulling Cyrus into a shaky embrace. TJ can barely believe any of it—Cyrus’ face nestled in his neck, Cyrus’ tiny waist in his grasp, Cyrus’ arms pulling him closer, tighter. “I like you, too, Underdog. I like you a lot,” TJ breathes, and he thinks he wouldn't mind if he died of bliss right then and there, until the boy in his arms steps back to look at him.

“Wait, do you really?” Cyrus asks, a smile spreading on his face.

TJ beams. He’s sure his ears have turned completely pink by now. “Really,” he laughs.

Cyrus squeals (which is possibly the most adorable thing TJ has ever witnessed) and he leaps into TJ’s arms, though not without pressing a quick kiss to his jaw.

TJ doesn’t recognize the giggle that erupts from his own throat. He’s so happy and excited and _something else_ —a sensation that he knows only Cyrus could make him feel. “I like you a lot,” he repeats, so the both of them can hear it.

Cyrus responds by leaning into him, knocking their arms together. The sun is setting on them and TJ finds the word while looking at him. _Warm,_ TJ thinks. That’s how Cyrus makes him feel.

And as TJ takes Cyrus’ hand in his, he decides he wants to feel that way for a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Oof, that season 2 finale had me seriously inspired...  
> Thank you for reading my first Andi Mack fic ever! Hope you liked it; if you did, I'd love to read your comments on it~


End file.
